In February 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio held a naturalization ceremony at Alter High School in Kettering. Dayton judges participated along with Judge Mary Donovan, who recently retired from Ohio’s Second District Court of Appeals. Fifty new citizens from 26 different countries were naturalized before approximately 500 students at an all-school assembly. During the ceremony, Principal Lambert addressed the new citizens, telling them of her parents’ story as Cuban immigrants and relaying her remembrance of the day they became U.S. citizens. Following the ceremony, judges from the Dayton seat of court, Judge Donovan, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Rossi, FBI Agent Bob Buzzard, and Law Clerk Megan Schachter spoke to multiple classes about career opportunities, including those in the judiciary, as prosecutors, and as a law enforcement officers.

Following the ceremony, Federal Judges, Judge Donovan, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Rossi, FBI agent Bob Buzzard, and law clerk Megan Schachter spoke to multiple Social Studies/civics classes about careers -- in the Third Branch, as a prosecutor, a law enforcement officer, and law clerk

Principal Lambert addresses the new citizens

Judge Newman congratulates a new citizen

Following a Social Studies class discussion, three Alter civics teachers pose with law clerk Megan Schachter, Judge Newman, Judge Silvain, FBI agent Bob Buzzard, and AUSA Kelly Rossi

Judges Donovan, Rice, and Newman; Principal Lambert; and Levi Fisher and Julie Decker from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services stand with a newly naturalized citizen and her family

A proud new citizen with the American flag

A happy band member